Vapor compressor



March 16, 1937. J: K|RGAN 2,074,184

VAPOR COMPRESSOR I Filed March 23, 1956 1 I 11 p a INVEN TOR.

Jail/21271 a12- BYML HIS A TTORNEY Patented Mar. 16, 1931 UNITED: STATES PATENT OFF-ICE I -varon' 1:::mssoa I John Kirgan, East-on, Pa., assignor to Ingersoll Rand Company, Jersey City, N. 1., a corporation of New Jer y Application March 23, 1936, .Serial No. 70,212

3 Claims. (Cl. 230-209) The invention relates to improvements incompressors, and particularly to a compressor for a fluid medium in vaporous condition.

An object of the invention is to provide a compressor adapted 'not only to raise the pressure of a vapor, but also to treat the vapor so as to avoid wear upon the, rotating members and other parts within the housing thereof.

The invention, although not so limited, is espe- 1o cially designed for use in connection with re-' frigerating systems in which a liquid refrigerant is vaporized and then removed and compressed to be forced into a condenser to be liquefied. The vaporization is accomplished in a vacuum -and vapor which enters the compressor may carry suspended within it agreat many minute particles of liquid which tend to erode the surfaces of the passages and vanesof the compressor. It is an object of my invention to prevent this erosion and the result is preferably accomplished'by imparting a given quantity of heat to'the vapor or gas which enters the compressor. heat may be produced in several ways, such as circulating warm water through a chamber in the compressor or by returning some-of the vapor after it has been compressed and heated from a suitable point in the housing to the vapor entering the latter. a

With these and other objects and advantages in view the invention comprises the novel features described herein and pointed out in the appended claims. The drawing shows the preferred form of the invention but variations may of course be made without departing from the principle thereof. I On the drawing the-figure shows in section a portion of a compressor according to'this-invention.

The numeral I indicates the housing of the compressor, that may be of the multi-stage type, although only one stage is shown. Said stage comprises a rotor or impeller wheel 2 with vanes 4 or vane-like passages 3 mounted to be revolved by a shaft 4. The vapor enters an inlet chamher 5 at one end of the housing by way of an inlet opening 6 and it is taken up by the rotor at the center of the chamber 5. After being compressed by the rotor 2 the vapor is forced through a circumferential passage 1 into the inlet chamber 8 of the next stage. A disc or partition. 9

lies between the rotor of the first stage and the chamber 8. The vapor is thus compressed to the desired degree before it is discharged at the out-.

let end of the casing. g i

As stated the vapor entering the inlet'ii is apt to contain a good many minute liquid particles which are fully vaporized in the course of compression so that in the later stages the vapor worked upon by the compressoris quite dry. The incoming vapor, unless treated, is therefore apt to erode the compressor parts shown in the draw- 5 ing, and to avoid this, a hollow diaphragm or web III containing a chamber II is provided between the chamber 5 and the rotor 2 and, this chamber may be heated by circulating hot water through it. when the surfaces of the diaphragm 10 containing the chamber ll-are'made hot enough any moisture in the vapor making contact with the sides of the diaphragm in the chamber 5 is either wholly or partially evaporated.

I have shown the chamber H as communicat- 15 ing through large uncontrolled apertures I! with the chamber 8 of the second stage of compression and through small restricted openings l3 with the the chamber II to heat theweb ill and passes gradually out through the openings l3 at reduced 25 pressure into the inlet chamber 5-. This quantity heats and 'dries the vapor entering the chamber 5 so thatat the time when it reaches the vane or impeller wheel 2 no more moisture is suspended in it and erosion is eliminated. The same 30 result might of course be obtained by suitable heating means in the inlet 6 or at some point adjacent the connection of this inlet to the evaporator in which the vapor is created.

Thus the vaporous medium which enters the 5 compressor is thoroughly dried out and all the liquid particles are completely absorbed by the vapor so that no erosion of the vane-wheel 2 or other'parts can occur. The blower casing ordignarily becomes damp on the outside at the inlet 40 end because the outside is cooled by the incoming vapor and atmospheric moisture condenses upon it. With my invention, however, the inlet end of the compressor housing is also warmed enough to prevent such sweating or reduce it to a great 45 extent. The operation of the device is thus greatly superior to that of the ordinary compressor because the parts remain perfectly dry during all periods of operation.

I claim: a

1. In a blower for compressing gas having suspended moisture therein, said blower comprising a housing for an inlet chamber and an impeller wheel and having a chamber to which said wheel delivers, a hollow web within the housing 55 between said chambers having 'uncontrolled openings communicating with both chambers to permit 00 gas to flow freely from the delivery chamber through the web and into the inlet chamber whereby said web and the entering gas is heated to vaporize said moisture.

2. In a blower for-compressing gas having suspended moistu're therein, a housing for an inlet chamber, an impeller wheel and a chamber to which the wheel delivers, means in the housing between the chambers and forming a third cham-- her, the means having large uncontrolled openings within the housing to freely pass hot compressed gas from the delivery chamber to the third chamber and thereby heat said means, and said means having also restricted openings within the housing to pass hot gas at reduced pressure from the third chamber into the inlet chamber to aid in vaporizing the moisture suspended chamber and said passage, and uncontrolled 1 openings in the web within the blower leading from said passage into the web for freely intro- 7 ducing into the hollow part of the web the heated gas from the wheel, thereby to heat the web and JOHN KIRGAN.

the gas entering the blower through said cham- 15 ber 

